Chair lift guide

ABSTRACT

A stationary chair lift attachment for positively guiding successive chair supporting structures into predetermined alignment with a rotating bull wheel as the portion of a cable to which the chair supporting structure is attached approaches and is advanced tangentially around the bull wheel.

United States Patent Inventor Robert A. Oswald P.O. Box 458, Gardnerville, Nev. 89410 Appl. No. 805,697 Filed Mar. 10, 1969 Patented Apr. 13, 1971 CHAIR LIFT GUIDE 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 104/173 Int. Cl B6lb 13/02 Field of Search 104/ 1 73, 191

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1968 Kircher 104/173 3,417,710 12/1968 Kokes 3,461,813 8/1969 Mcllvaine Primary ExamineP-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Robert Saifer Att0rneyTownsend and Townsend ABSTRACT: A stationary chair lift attachment for positively guiding successive chair supporting structures into predetermined alignment with a rotating bull wheel as the portion of a cable to which the chair supporting structure is attached approaches and is advanced tangentially around the bull wheel.

FIG.21O

22 a 20 I 21 2o 21 2O .20 22 22 v 34 34 T 34 22v 34 h INVENTOR. s 3 BY, ROBERT A. OSWALD ATTORNEYS v CHAIR LIFT GUIDE This invention relates to an attachment for chair lifts or T- bar lifts of the type used by skiers for ascending slopes, and more particularly, to a device for safely guiding the chair-type supporting structure around the driving sheaves or bull wheels normally rotatably mounted at the bottom and top of a typical ski lift.

Apparatus utilized for transporting skiers (or sightseers) over a generally upwardly inclined slope usually includes a powered sheave or bull wheel at the downhill extremity of the slope, an idler sheave (upper bull wheel) at the uphill extremity of the ski slope, an endless cable extending between and trained around the bull wheel and the idler sheave, and one or more supporting frames and chairs (or other occupant implement) attached to and depending from fixed portions of the endless cable. A skier, for example, after completion of a downhill run, sits in the chair suspended from the supporting structure and is transported up the slope by advancement of the attached segment of the cable about the upper bull wheel. An unloading station is provided to enable the skier (or rider) to safely alight from the chair prior to advancement of that portion of the cable supporting the occupied chair into tangential engagement with the upper bull wheel for advancement back down the slope along with the return reach of the cable. Similarly, at the bottom of the slope, the chair advances tangentially around the lower powered bull wheel as that portion of the cable to which it is attached encounters the bull wheel.

The bull wheels, and particularly the idler bull wheel located at or near the top of the slope, are frequently subjected to heavy gusts of wind, one consequence of which is that unoccupied chairs are blown out (sway) from the intended vertical position and, in extreme cases, can completely flip over. This condition causes the chairs or the structure supporting the chairs to get caught in the bull wheel, or the mechanism or structure associated with it, thereby resulting in an attendant breakdown of the operation of the lift. This breakdown is not only an inconvenience to the skiers, but is costly to the operator of the lift.

Various lateral arrangements of stationary spaced apart parallel guide rails have heretofore been provided immediately prior to the area of cable advancement into the bull wheels; see US. Pat. No. 3,401,643. However, such guides are only useful when the lateral sway is moderate or light. Such devices are ineffective when heavy winds and corresponding excessive sway occurs.

Broadly, the present invention is directed to providing a guide structure extending from above the general area at which skiers alight from the chairs and progressively enveloping the cable as it approaches the respective a portion of the bull wheel. As a result of the structure of this invention, the supporting frames for the empty chairs are returned to or maintained in a generally upright position as the portion of the cable to which each chair is attached enters into engagement with the bull wheel. This objective is achieved by providing a guide structure extending outwardly over and progressively around the cable as it approaches the inlet side of the bull wheel. Commencing at the outer end of the support structure, two guide bars are appropriately configured to accomplish this objective.

A feature and advantage of this invention resides in the provision of a pair of smooth rails that emanate from a common point, diverge outwardly and downwardly, and thereafter converge inwardly and further downwardly to produce the desired alignment of each chair support as it advances into the area of the bull wheel. A further feature and advantage of the present invention is that it can be added to existing ski lift structures without interrupting the operation or requiring extensive modification thereof.

These objects, features and advantages of the invention will be better understood and others will become apparent when reference is made to the following detailed disclosure, especially in view of the attached drawing, wherein:

FIG. I is a fragmentary top plan view of one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG 1.

FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 3-A, 3-B, 3-C and 3-D of FIG. 1 respectively.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views, there is shown an upright support 10 including transverse support 12 for maintaining idler bull wheel 14 for rotation about axis 16. Bull wheel 14 includes a tangential groove 18 for support and guidance of endless cable 20. Secured to spaced portions of cable 20. Secured to spaced portions of cable 20 in any conventional manner well understood in this art and pivotally mounted about respective of axes 21, are chair lift supports 22 including chairs 24.

Chair support guide B depends from support 10 of chair lift A by transverse braces 30 and 32. Guide B includes a pair of generally downwardly and outwardly curving guide rails coextensive at upstream end 36 with support 38. Guide rails 34 are additionally supported along intermediate portions thereof by braces 40 and 42. As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d, guide rails 34 are positioned at their upper end above cable 20. As that portion of cable 22 to which a chair support is attached is advanced towards idler bull wheel 16, guide rails 34 are formed so as to diverge downwardly with respect to the relative position of cable 20 to provide a curving leading edge for confining and guiding chair support 22 therebetween (FIGS. 3a, 3b; and 30). As chair support 22 continues to advance with that portion of cable 20 to which it is attached, the relative location of other segments of guide rails 34 start to converge downwardly with the result that each successive chair-supporting structure such as structure 22 that is being buffeted by wind is constrained to a position generally parallel with support 10; see FIG. 3d. Thus, guide rails 34 provide rigid surfaces capable of forcing structure 22 into general alignment with upright support 10 (and perpendicular to bull wheel 14) even from a position of sway around cable 20. Such a condition cannot be controlled in known apparatus.

The actual location of the second (downstream) ends of guide rails 34 is not critical to the invention. However, it has been found that if they are aligned so that a swaying chair support is restrained to an angle of less than 30 with respect to the vertical, no entanglement with the structure supporting the bull wheel will occur. The downstream ends of guide rails 34 are supported through a rigid interconnecting brace 44 that extends up, over and around cable 20 to allow sufficient room for cable 20 and support 22 to pass thereunder. It will be appreciated by one skilled in this art that any system of supporting and bracing guide rails 34 can be employed as long as the broad concept of urging each support structure 22 into a downwardly extending direction is ultimately accomplished prior to and during the tangential contact of cable 20 with bull wheel 16. Furthermore, it will be apparent that a similar structure can be provided for the corresponding bull wheel at the lower end of the chair lift.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent to one skilled in this art that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

lclaim:

1. In a chair lift having an endless cable driven about a pair of generally horizontal spaced apart sheaves each mounted for rotation about a generally vertical axis, means for driving at least one of said sheaves to produce advancement of said cable in a predetermined direction, and at least one chairsupporting structure dependent from said cable and carrying a chair supported at its lower end, the improvement comprising guide means disposed near at least one of said sheaves and attached to the side thereof from which the advancement of said cable occurs around said sheave, said guide means surrounding said endless cable to progressively urge said chair-supporting structure into general alignment with the vertical axis about which said sheave rotates as that portion of said cable to which said structure is attached advances in said predetermined direction from a first end to a second end of said guide means. I

2. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of stationary rails having said first ends coextensive and disposed above said cable.

3. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 2 wherein the second end of each said pair of stationary rails is disposed below and substantially equidistantly spaced from said cable.

4. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 3 wherein an intermediate portion of each of said rails is further spaced apart than either of said first or second ends.

5. In combination with a chair lift of the type having an endless driven cable, a chair-supporting structure attached to and depending from said cable, and a pair of bull wheels that are mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and around which portions of said endless cable are tangentially trained, said cable being advanced along an input path around said bull wheels by the positive rotation of at least one of said wheels, improved apparatus for guiding said chair-supporting structure around each of said bull wheels comprising first and second guide rails, means for supporting said guide rails in fixed spaced relation to said input path of said endless cable, said guide rails having downstream ends adjacent said bull wheel and upstream ends remote from said downstream ends, said upstream ends being joined to one another in approximate vertical alignment above said cable, said guide rails gradually diverging from said upstream ends downwardly and outwardly so that said downstream ends reside laterally of and below said cable whereby said chair-supporting structure will be guided to a position between said guide rails before the portion of said cable to which said chair-supporting structure is attached, advances into tangential contact with said bull wheel.

6. :A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein intermediate portions of said guide rails are further spaced apart than either said upstream or downstream ends. 

1. In a chair lift having an endless cable driven about a pair of generally horizontal spaced apart sheaves each mounted for rotation about a generally vertical axis, means for driving at least one of said sheaves to produce advancement of said cable in a predetermined direction, and at least one chair-supporting structure dependent from said cable and carrying a chair supported at its lower end, the improvement comprising guide means disposed near at least one of said sheaves and attached to the side thereof from which the advancement of said cable occurs around said sheave, said guide means surrounding said endless cable to progressively urge said chair-supporting structure into general alignment with the vertical axis about which said sheave rotates as that portion of said cable to which said structure is attached advances in said predetermined direction from a first end to a second end of said guide means.
 2. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of stationary rails having said first ends coextensive and disposed above said cable.
 3. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 2 wherein the second end of each said pair of stationary rails is disposed below and substantially equidistantly spaced from said cable.
 4. A chair lift attachment in accordance with claim 3 wherein an intermediate portion of each of said rails is further spaced apart than either of said first or second ends.
 5. In combination with a chair lift of the type having an endless driven cable, a chair-supporting structure attached to and depending from said cable, and a pair of bull wheels that are mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and around which portions of said endless cable are tangentially trained, said cable being advanced along an input path around said bull wheels by the positive rotation of at least one of said wheels, improved apparatus for guiding said chair-supporting structure around each of said bull wheels comprising first and second guide rails, means for supporting said guide rails in fixed spaced relation to said input path of said endless cable, said guide rails having downstream ends adjacent said bull wheel and upstream ends remote from said downstream ends, said upstream ends being joined to one another in approximate vertical alignment above said cable, said guide rails gradually diverging from said upstream ends downwardly and outwardly so that said downstream ends reside laterally of and below said cable whereby said chair-supporting structure will be guided to a position between said guide rails before the portion of said cable to which said chair-supporting structure is attached, advances into tangential contact with said bull wheel.
 6. A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein intermediate portions of said guide rails are further spaced apart than either said upstream or downstream ends. 